bodybuilding

Per Bernal WHERE TO BEGIN? There’s a lot of praise to heap on Johnnie Jackson’s career, which finally concluded last September. He is the most accomplished powerlifting bodybuilder ever. Last year, at age 46, he joined that other Jackson, Dexter, as the oldest men to win two pro shows in one...

For the past 80 years, Muscle & Fitness has established itself as the authoritative voice in fitness publishing. And for the past 35 years, FLEX has done the same in the world of bodybuilding. Now, both magazines are joining forces. Beginning with the new May issue (on newsstands April 20)...

To bulk up your body with muscle, learn to bulk up your diet with vegetables. Low in calories, vegetables also provide a host of nutrients that are otherwise deficient in many bodybuilding diets, including fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Most bodybuilders acknowledge the crucial...

A native of Southern Louisiana, Casey Viator was arguably the greatest teenage bodybuilder ever. The titles he collected before his 20th birthday include the 1971 Mr. America. In the 80-year history of that show and its successor, NPC Nationals, he remains, at 19, the youngest champ. The phenom...

FLEX: YOU, RONNIE COLEMAN, DORIAN YATES, LEE HANEY, AND ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER–ALL OF YOU AT PEAK FORM–WHERE DO YOU FINISH? PHIL HEATH: Top three, at the least. Top three all day. I’m trying to figure that one out. I would like to put myself at No. 1—I mean, only two of us, me and Coleman, have...

I’ve always known deep down inside that I wanted to be different, wanted to be successful, wanted to be famous for what I did and make a positive impact on the world. Where did this desire come from? My humble upbringing in an Austrian village during the post-WWII period? Being the second child...

This is big— really, really big. We’ve compiled mass-making advice from 25 of the largest bodybuilders who ever tested the limits of a posing dais. The amateur superheavy- weight division consists of competitors who weigh more than 225. To make our honor roll, these pros each competed at...

QUESTION AT PRO AND AMATEUR CONTESTS, YOU SEE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THE FRONT AND BACK DOUBLE BICEPS POSE. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON ERRORS IN DOING THESE POSES THAT CAN IMPACT HOW YOU APPEAR TO THE JUDGING PANEL? ANSWER STEVE WEINBERGER: There are many errors that can be made in every...

HYPOTHESIS There is substantial evidence showing that physical activity and specially structured exercise supports cognitive health. One of the known mechanisms that connect exercise and the brain is a protein called brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is involved in the growth and...

To stay in great shape and look good all your life, bodybuilding is the key to success. To achieve the best growth in the muscle, you'll need to train each type of fiber with different reps and weight. My great friend Jack LaLanne, who died at the age of 96, gave me this great training tip...

QUESTION DO YOU FEEL ONE CAN MAKE IT TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF BODYBUILDING WITHOUT HAVING A TRAINING PARTNER? I DESPERATELY WANT TO COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY AND MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF IN THIS INDUSTRY, BUT MY PARTICULAR JOB FORCES ME TO TRAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS FAST...

Matt Morgan is used to standing out. Whether it was as the most athletic giant in the ring during his days in the WWE and TNA Wrestling or as a member of the second coming of American Gladiators, Morgan has been used to getting attention and establishing his dominance. Nowadays he stands out on...

“How does he look?” FLEX’s editor-in-chief asked me after I journeyed backstage before the 2006 Colorado Pro. “Small,” I answered. “But at least he’s peeled.” You got the sense that success was coming too fast for Phil Heath. Sure, he had those round muscle bellies and that pleasing shape. But...

It wasn’t that long ago that Erik Fankhouser’s career was on the rise. He was featured on iconic ads and covers of magazines, had a loyal following, and even made it to the Olympia stage in 2010. Then out of nowhere he was gone. He disappeared from the entire bodybuilding scene, leaving many...

Bodybuilding is good for anyone, especially for athletes, but the program should be designed for how the body functions during play in a particular sport. Thus, a basketball player’s routine will differ from that of a football player or a baseball player. For your vertical jump and a quick...

If I were ranking the best crab most-musculars ever crunched, at the top of the list would be Ronnie Coleman, Markus Rühl, Dennis Wolf, and Dennis James. Coincidentally, those last three all hail from Germany. But James, born in 1966 to an American GI and a German woman, was always American...

You are the resistance. Whether you weigh 150 or 300, you’re hauling those pounds around every day. What you’re probably not doing is using your body’s weight for a workout. However, you could, and maybe you should. With a minimum amount of stationary equipment— chinning bar, dipping bars—or no...

OPENING ARGUMENTS DEFENSE During puberty, the bones are growing rapidly. Growth occurs in the long bones in regions at the ends of the bone called the epiphyseal growth plate. The area of bone just beneath the growth plate is not solid bone and is susceptible to damage. Weightlifting could...

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